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Local unions make donation to Brantford Food Bank

Local NewsLocal unions make donation to Brantford Food Bank

Sharon Jones, UFCW Local 175 Executive Board Vice President and representative, presented Heather Vanner, Executive Director of the Brantford Food Bank, with a cheque for $3,000 on Monday, December 2, 2024.

Members of the Union also made donations to organizations in Caledonia, Oshweken/Six Nations, Hamilton, and many more across Ontario.

As food insecurity and food bank use continues to rise across the province, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 175 & 633, on behalf of its 70,000 members, will once again donate nearly $200,000 to food banks and charitable organizations across the province this holiday season.

“Our Executive Board members know that our Local Union is in a position to provide this support and I continue to be proud of their commitment to the communities across this province where our members live and work,” said Kelly Tosato, President of UFCW Local 175. “We also recognize that the vital work these food charities and community groups are doing is only a temporary fix that cannot correct the systemic root causes of food insecurity.”

“It is heartbreaking to see our policy makers and lobbyists with deep corporate pockets consistently value obscene profit at the expense of a growing number of people and families experiencing food insecurity,” said Tosato.

Food Banks Canada HungerCount 2024 noted that in March 2024, more than two million visits were recorded to the nation’s food banks, marking the highest number in history for these visits.

In September 2024, Feed Ontario released a report with sobering numbers that set another record: over one million people in Ontario visited a food bank over the last year. With 7.6 million visits to Ontario’s food banks between April 2023 and March 2024: that marks a 134% increase in visits over 2019-2020.

“Real change must be implemented through government policies to make sure that not one person, not one family, in this province is left behind,” added Tosato.

“We are so grateful for the support of UFCW Locals 633 & 175 for the Brantford Food Bank. Right now, one in ten people in Brantford are needing the support of the Food Bank, 33% of those supported are children. The help we receive from our community ensures that we can continue to support those experiencing food insecurity. These funds will help us keep our doors open, our food stocks full, and our trucks on the road so we can bring in the food we need to help all those needing our services.” said Vanner.

Among the many services to their communities, the organizations supported with these donations provide: front-line food provision for families and individuals; hot meals for vulnerable community members; assisting with school nutrition programs, and; food distribution and support through other area agencies and charitable initiatives.

The Local Union will continue its donations to 60 organizations across Ontario through the end of November and into December. 

UFCW Locals 175 & 633 represents more than 70,000 Union Members across Ontario working in most sectors of the economy including retail grocery and pharmacy, industrial, food processing and manufacturing, health care, hospitality, and much more.

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